Renting and Leasing

News about Renting and Leasing, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 25, 2015

Census Bureau reports that median residential rent in New York City has risen 3.4 percent over past three years while median household income has risen only 1.1 percent; says about 30 percent of city's renters pay at least half of income on housing. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

The Hunt column on search by Tori Porpora and Emma Murphy for a two-bedroom apartment under $2,8000; found appropriate apartment in the West 80s for $2,650. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Real Estate Q&A on whether a landlord can obligate a tenant to heat their apartment at their own cost, and whether there is an obligation to pay rent through end of lease despite agreement with landlord. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Stephanie Rosenbloom The Getaway column examines some vacation rental sites for those with specific requirements that may be competing with old standbys like Airbnb. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Real Estate Q&A on misleading digital listings, trash presenting a fire hazard in a condominium and the pros and cons of updating one's certificate of occupancy. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

New York City is seeing influx of rental apartments with all types of amenities and shared space but developers are shrinking size of units; many are creating studios that are 50 square feet smaller than average, but piling on perks in hopes of keeping rents competitive. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

New York City Council hearing focusing on enforcement of state laws on short-term apartment rentals pits proponents of services like Airbnb against those who say such rentals are nuisance and drive out low-income residents. MORE

Jan. 4, 2015

The Hunt column on search by Brian and Stephanie Cashin for one-bedroom rental apartment for mid-$3,000's; found one-bedroom at the Westport in far West 50s for $3,810 per month. MORE

Dec. 28, 2014

Real Estate Q&A on New York City laws and regulations concerning death of a tenant in a rent-controlled apartment, subletting and handling noise from neighbors in a rent-stabilized building. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Tranquilina Alvillar returns to her second-floor apartment at 193 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, after more than three years; Housing Court judge ruled that market-rate tenant inhabiting her renovated apartment be evicted. MORE

Dec. 15, 2014

Stockholm is attracting fast-growing tech start-ups but its housing shortage poses problems for engineers needing rental apartments; clash between booming tech industry and housing restrictions is common in other major technology hubs worldwide. MORE

Dec. 6, 2014

Ron Lieber Your Money column explores limitations of Airbnb's free $1 million liability coverage; notes coverage is secondary, meaning company wants its users to push any claims for guests' injuries and deaths through their own insurance companies first; observes most homeowner's and renter's insurance policies do not cover regular commercial activity in the home. MORE

Dec. 3, 2014

Letter from Julian Castro, secretary of Department of Housing and Urban Development, comments on Nov 30 editorial underscoring need for lawmakers to create conditions under which middle- and lower-income Americans can sustain homeownership. MORE

Dec. 1, 2014

Rachel L Swarns The Working Life column; Neil Mendeloff, who was forced to out of his East Village garden supply store Plantworks because of soaring rent, has relocated his business to First Avenue, where rents are manageable and customer demand is high. MORE

Nov. 30, 2014

Editorial highlights study by researchers at Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University examining why net worth of homeowners significantly outpaces that of renters over time; contends housing bust should underscore need for conditions under which middle- and lower-income Americans can sustain homeownership; calls for policies that lift wages, as well as approaches to managing economy to ensure fair share of growth goes to wages. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

App City column; app MatchPad is aimed at pairing New York City renters based on how they rate themselves on issues like extroversion and cleanliness; app serves as an alternative for those unnerved by prospect from renting from a stranger via sources like Craigslist. MORE

Nov. 21, 2014

Sugar Hill Development in Upper Manhattan begins filling up with 124 low-income families fortunate enough to be selected in lottery for one of building's affordable rental units; over 48,000 families applied for apartments at Sugar Hill, underscoring New York City's dearth of affordable housing. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Hong Kong property costs continue to soar, with city being one of most expensive places in world to live; even once improbable living spaces, like 275-square-foot microflats, are getting snapped up at astronomical prices and rents are skyrocketing; many young people worry about having place of their own, and some analysts say market could stumble. MORE

Nov. 17, 2014

Airbnb will introduce its new quarterly magazine Pineapple at its convention for hosts, people who rent rooms or apartments to travelers; magazine, which contains no advertising, will offer features on cities popular with Airbnb hosts and guests. MORE

Nov. 5, 2014

Editorial contends there is no reason that creative business models like that of Airbnb cannot be regulated; calls on New York City officials to crack down on clearly illegal activity, but to allow more benign forms of apartment sharing; posits that landlords and co-op boards may have to serve as another line of defense in ensuring that Airbnb model is not exploited by illegal operators, given the city's limited resources. MORE

Nov. 1, 2014

Floyd Norris Off the Charts column notes Census Bureau report shows that homeownership rate continues to decline, as more Americans are preferring to rent; examines reasons why consumers are not lining up to buy homes. MORE

Oct. 31, 2014

Fortune Society, leading provider of social services for recently released prisoners, files lawsuit against owners and managers of the Sand Castle rental complex in Far Rockaway, Queens; suit contends that complex's policy of not renting to people with criminal records, which disproportionately affects black and Latino men, violates the federal Fair Housing Act and New York State Law. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column contends that making meaningful reform to the financial system could require Americans to reconsider the assumption that homeownership is good for the economy; holds that tightening mortgage rules would make it more difficult to buy and sell homes, and would lead to more renters, but might be worth it. MORE

Oct. 29, 2014

Commerce Department reports that homeownership in United States fell to near 20-year low in third quarter, 64.4 percent, as more Americans turn to renting; data offers sign that housing has yet to recover from effects of recession. MORE

Oct. 28, 2014

Op-Ed article by freelance writer Reni Eddo-Lodge bemoans London's inflated housing market, in which average residents are paying nearly-three fifths of their monthly income on rent; holds shortage of affordable housing has produced an unashamedly stratified city, in which a small group of capitalists are profiting as the majority scramble to make ends meet. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Renters seeking new apartments in Lincoln Square have had slim pickings for a few years, but several new towers will bring nearly 2,000 units to area by 2016; Glenwood Management opened Hawthorn Park at 160 West 62nd Street, first large-scale rental building in neighborhood since about 2010; it will be joined by 256 rental units at 175 West 60th Street, which is also being developed by Glenwood. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Lisa Prevost Mortgages column on research by real estate website Trulia finding that homeownership is less expensive than renting in all of the country’s 100 largest metropolitan areas; advantage narrows considerably, however, when the home buyer uses a low-down-payment loan insured by Federal Housing Administration. MORE

Oct. 23, 2014

Young adults, wary of home-ownership since housing bust, are looking for appealing rental housing, and developers are responding; construction of multifamily units, which include both condos and rentals, is at its highest level in 25 years, while construction of single-family homes is only halfway back to its prerecession levels. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Some companies have taken to paying individuals to comb through New York City housing court records for names of people who have been in litigation with landlords; information is complied and sold to landlords as blacklist designed to prevent undesirable tenants; while most landlords complete background check on prospective tenants, some feel that practice constitutes misuse of public information. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Leasing has begun at Modern, luxury rental building in Fort Lee, NJ, near entrance to George Washington Bridge; 47-story tower, first of two identical buildings planned, dwarfs surrounding structures, offering residents in the penthouse floors unobstructed views of Hudson River, New York City skyline and green canopy of northern New Jersey, along with Westchester and Rockland counties. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

The Hunt column on search by Rowan Papier for two-bedroom rental apartment in Greenwich Village or on the Lower East Side for under $4,000 per month; found two-bedroom in Greenwich Village for $3,700. MORE

Oct. 16, 2014

New York Atty Gen Eric T Schneiderman's report on home rental service Airbnb finds that nearly three-quarters of all Airbnb rentals in New York City are illegal, violating zoning or other laws; Schneiderman and city regulators plan to shut down illegal hotels, while investigations into violations of building and safety codes and tax regulations begin. MORE

Oct. 10, 2014

New policy guidelines will allow landlords in New York City to sell their market-rate rentals--or up to 80 percent of an individual building--in exchange for preserving or expanding the number of low-income rental apartments they own; must commit to making at least 20 percent of their units permanently affordable before any sales are approved. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to rent out his Park Slope, Brooklyn, townhouse while he and his family live at Gracie Mansion; three-story home will be listed at $4,975 a month. MORE

Oct. 1, 2014

New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development starting in 2015 will post on its website the names of landlords found in court to have harassed tenants, hoping the public shaming will be a deterrent. MORE

Sep. 17, 2014

Matthew Wada and Jennifer York are indicted in Manhattan for running a rental fraud that swindled dozens of victims for more than $60,000 for apartments that were unavailable; pair are said to have exploited the emerging sharing economy by taking short-term rentals and then showing the apartments as if they were available on long term basis. MORE

Sep. 15, 2014

Tenants of Riverton complex in Harlem file lawsuit against CWCapital Asset Management and affiliate Compass Rock Real Estate, claiming systemic overcharging of tenants as part of an effort to oust longtime residents and raise rents; say they have received eviction notices for nonpayment of rent, despite mailing checks to management office that tenants say have gone uncashed. MORE

Sep. 3, 2014

In Ferguson and other close suburbs of St. Louis, out-of-state investment firms have bought distressed homes to rent them out, a consequence of foreclosures from the financial crisis. MORE

Sep. 3, 2014

Vivian Marino 30-Minute Interview with Daria P Salusbury, senior vice president in charge of luxury residential leasing operations for Related Companies; Salusbury discusses her role at the company and its rental portfolio in New York. MORE

Sep. 1, 2014

Side Street column on fight by Charles Maselli, owner of Bagel Cafe in the Bay Plaza shopping center in the Bronx, to keep his restaurant after 25 years of operation; landlord is attempting to terminate lease, and Maselli holds out slim hope that bill before New York City Council, proposing greater protection for small-business owners in their dealings with commercial landlords, can come in time to save cafe. MORE

Aug. 31, 2014

Renters share their experiences living in mixed-income buildings, which provide affordable and market-rate apartments; New York City developers who construct such buildings, known as 80/20s, gain from city-supported perks, including tax abatements; placing economically diverse individuals under same roof can be problematic, but relatively minor issues do not seem to overshadow the overwhelming success of program. MORE

Aug. 31, 2014

Aug. 29, 2014

Rents have risen sharply in many places nationwide, fueled by growing interest in urban living and shortage of rental housing, resulting in surge of eviction cases that has abruptly disrupted lives; cities affected include Milwaukee and San Francisco, and states like Maine, Georgia and Kentucky. MORE

Aug. 24, 2014

Developers plan to turn Caton Place in Brooklyn, once home to horse stables, into luxury rental destination with two separate building projects, even if they cannot agree if neighborhood is Windsor Terrace or Kensington. MORE

Jul. 28, 2014

Airbnb introduced a new business travel initiative on Monday, expanding beyond the vacation and couch-surfing crowds the company has traditionally focused on. MORE

Jul. 28, 2014

Rodeo Bar on the corner of Third Avenue and East 27th Street in Midtown Manhattan closes after 27 years; owner Mitch Pollak says changes in the neighborhood and increasingly high rent were behind the decision to close. MORE

Jul. 3, 2014

Op-Ed article by Union Square Hospitality Group chief executive Danny Meyer contends rising rents are killing off Manhattan's local restaurants; warns against the consequences of a city economy wired to spit out otherwise healthy businesses. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

Appraisal column; websites like Airbnb, HomeAway, VRBO and even Craigslist are reshaping seasonal rental market in the Hamptons, turning year-round homeowners into prospering landlords and leaving local officials scrambling to curtail flurry of activity that could be violation of local laws severely restricting short-term rentals. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

De Blasio administration's plans to reduce the amount of rent New York City pays landlords in privately owned apartment buildings who house homeless families hits snag; one landlord, Kalman Tabak, is refusing to accept lower rent and is threatening to evict about 200 homeless families; Tabak says landlords need to charge city more than market rate to cover high turnover costs of housing homeless residents. MORE

Jun. 29, 2014

Henry Alford Circa Now column discusses etiquette of vacation house renting, which he says is wide ranging and complicated; notes that for every owner who writes hyper-specific instructions, there is an owner whose inability to answer phone calls or emails becomes a major plot point of a vacation. MORE

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